Director's Message
Tokyo Generalist Advancement Project (T-GAP)
Shintaro Kosaka, Department of Hospital Medicine, Hiroo Hospital
Tokyo is the biggest metropolis with a population of approximately 14 million and is comprised of 1.6million children (one in nine), 3.1million elderly who are above the age of 65 years old(one in five), 0.6million international residents (one in twenty-five). Although Japan is facing population decline, Tokyo still has a large number of population, concentrating in the city. There will also be an increase in the number of international residents, and the city is expected to face further population ageing in the future.
Furthermore, the Tokyo Metropolitan Area encompasses diverse regions, including the island groups comprising 11 inhabited islands of varying sizes, such as the Izu and Ogasawara Islands, as well as mountainous areas like Okutama.
Generalists are specialists who treat not only individuals but also the community, playing a key role in primary care by providing medical services to maintain and promote the health of residents.
Currently, there is a need in Tokyo for the training of generalist medicine who can provide comprehensive care for everyone from children to the elderly and who can work effectively across a wide range of settings, from the city center to rural areas. We believe that this will, in the future, become a program for developing professionals capable of working anywhere in the world.
To train generalists capable of resolving the various healthcare challenges faced by the Tokyo region, the Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital Organization launched the ‘Tokyo Generalist Advancement Project (T-GAP)’ in 2023 with the support of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This project goes beyond the conventional training of generalists in hospitals and clinics; it promotes team-based medicine by bringing together not only local doctors and medical students but also nurses, pharmacists and other multidisciplinary professionals as partners in the practice of generalist medicine. We aim to train healthcare professionals who can respond to local needs by working collaboratively with patients and liaising with local authorities.
In this context, regarding one of our core missions—‘training generalist medicine across the whole of Tokyo’—we are delighted that many training institutions have expressed their support, leading to the formation of the ‘TOKYO Generalist Alliance’. By deepening collaboration across educational, research and clinical fields, transcending institutional boundaries, we are confident that we can make Tokyo an even more attractive place for training. We have high hopes that this will ultimately support healthcare in Tokyo and enrich the lives of its people.
Here in Tokyo, let us enjoy the trainings that aim to be the generalists who are active on the world stage.